Facebook. We all know it. For the youth, it is the focal point of our social life. For most guardians, it is a distraction that is keeping their children from doing all things productive, and hindering their success. Speak to my mom, and you will know what I mean! But there is another group, a much overlooked one, which has been using Facebook to change their fortunes. Entrepreneurial people, with next to no resources at their disposal, are silently harnessing the power of social media to start businesses with as little as Tk 3,000, and earning lakhs per month within just a year.
From delivery boy to Dhaka University: Because I am deeply involved in the F-commerce sector of Bangladesh, I have had the good fortune of seeing some movie-worthy cases firsthand. Take Mr Sujan for example. Despite being a talented student, he was unable to continue studying after 12th grade, as he had to start providing for his family. He moved to Dhaka in 2014, to work as a delivery man with a salary that barely met his rent and living costs. But the bright young man soon realized, that if so many people were receiving orders online, so could he!
Sujan's sister, living in the city with him, had a penchant for necklaces. Together, the two of them saved up about Tk 3,000 over the next three months, and set up a Facebook shop called "Kreative Korals", selling exotic necklaces. Sujan's sister selected the necklaces and spoke to the customers. Sujan delivered the orders.
And so the journey begins. Money begins to trickle in. For the first time in their lives, the two of them were not scrambling to meet their basic needs. Five months later, when Sujan came to see me, he said, "Apu, not only are we able to send money back home, but we can SAVE money!". To be honest, that conversation with him was a something of a wakeup call for me. Having come from a privileged background, where income was always higher than expenditures, I had never realised how incredible the term savings was for most people. I had always been an advocate for F-commerce, but as Sujan's story unfolded in front of my own eyes, my conviction to continue its advocacy, and my belief that this can be a game changer for producers and artisans across Bangladesh, became even stronger.
Over the past three years, Sujan's family's lifestyle has completely changed. Their parents have come to Dhaka, to live with the children. This year Sujan's sister got admitted to Dhaka University's, economics department. And guess where the funds for her education came from. It came from the Facebook Shop the two of them set up with just Tk 3,000! Sujan, unfortunately, will not be able to pursue an education in a good university due to the study break he took, but his sister gives him full credit, and says her certificate will belong to Sujan!
From debts offline to profits online: Mr Hanif grew up listening to the steady beats of 'taant' in his hometown, Tangail. He grew up dreaming of representing his heritage and setting up a shop in Dhaka, where all the rich people lived.Once he finished his degree, he borrowed from his father and brother and set up a shop on Bailey Road. It was a dream come true, the best of handloom saris, the best of dyes, and at the best prices- it represented the hope of finally rescuing his family from constantly begging for work.
But as months passed, Hanif's hopes spiralled downwards. Customers were not coming in. Sales were infrequent - but salaries were to be paid, and the rent was to be managed by the 1st week without fail. In just four months, Hanif was swamped with debts. Desperate keeping the business alive, he opened a page on Facebook. "Neelabh" he called it. Named after indigo, his mother's favourite colour. To help with the online side of it, he reached out to ShopUp- one-stop solution for Facebook shops in Bangladesh. Since then, it has been an incredible journey. The problem was with driving sales, and that was a problem, ShopUp could easily solve.
Soon, sales online soared. Customer reviews poured in. Hanif quickly reduced store space and focused more and more online. In the past three months, Neelabh has added five more weavers to its team. Hanif's dream of repatriating profits back to the weavers is finally coming true. He now looks to export, and conquer global markets. And for Hanif, the whole game was changed to a single Facebook Page!
Replicating the success stories: Currently, there are thousands of Facebook shops in Bangladesh, and the opportunities for growth are boundless. The most incredible part of starting an online store is that there are no barriers, no dependence on anybody, and absolutely no scope of social favouritism.
To run a successful Facebook Shop, one does not be well-connected, nor one needs a high amount of capital. What is needed is an internet connection, and an obsession with customer satisfaction- because word of mouth is what makes an online business roll.
In this day and age, where everyone around us has a smartphone, success is at your fingertips - all one need is to work hard, remain sincere, and remain honest.
However, not everything is all nice and rosy. We know scores of entrepreneurs, who are labelled by their friends and family as "Housewives" or "Unemployed", when in fact, not only are they earning a decent amount for their Facebook Shop, but also playing a part in generating more employment.
There are criticisms on how these "so-called Facebook Shops" are all hoaxes set up by fraudulent people trying to make some cash on the side by cheating on customers. The truth is, most of these Facebook Shops are not hoaxes. The majority are owned by real people, hardworking people, trying to build a business from nothing. Sure, a lot of them make mistakes here and there, most of them are still learning.But sooner or later, they'll get there.
A lot of these businesses are not formally registered. But does that matter in the bigger picture, if that company is a small shop being run by a mother, who is probably pouring the profits from the business into her children's education?
Most of the businesses are not big enterprises; they might never be. What they are, however, is a means of earning for people who might otherwise have been stuck as dependents, trapped in a life full of misery and frustrations.
Many times, customers will complain that the delivery support is weak, payments are complicated and risky, there is no way to understand who is honest and who is not; the whole industry is riddled with problems, but what new industry isn't? Undoubtedly, the RMG sector that we currently hailed as a beacon of Bangladesh's resilience and hope also went through its own set of problems back in the 70's.
With the right support system and a bit of encouragement, the F-commerce industry will be able to play an incredible role in reducing unemployment and improving the lifestyles of people in the lower- and lower-middle class of Bangladesh. Facebook has opened doors of opportunities for millions of people in Bangladesh. All we can do is encourage people to grab this opportunity, and give them the essential support required to tip the scales in their favour.
The author is a co-founder of ShopUp, a social commerce platform that helps small businesses to sell their products through social media. The author previously worked as a Credit Analyst at Standard Chartered Bank, Bangladesh, after completing BBA program from IBA, University of Dhaka.
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